The Devil is back.

 The opportunity to suspend reality is always exciting although you cannot completely shut down.

Briefly…It appears that the rest of the world thinks America has lost its collective mind.

It was fascinating as well as depressing to be confronted daily with, “Trump?! What happened? Are you as nervous as we are?!

We tried to avoid online news reporting, but we were continually challenged.

Now, on to the good stuff.

I shall focus on Portugal and save the Bordeaux region and Paris for another day.

Portugal is amazing.

Forget the Stairmaster. Every day in Lisbon is a physical workout. The gluts definitely benefited from the visit.

 The restaurants, wine, sights and people are deliciously fabulous.

I was blown away by the cuisine.

We dined at Belcanto, the best restaurant in Lisbon, ate in small nondescript places in Porto, relaxed by the beach in Cascais, climbed to the hilltop to explore the 6th century Lisbon Castelo and consumed terrific seafood at a Relais & Chateau by the ocean in  Cascais.

We explored Time Out food market and ate amongst the locals and then onto Belem and the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos an  door indulged in the famous pastel de nata.

Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was captivating. It was the summer retreat of Portuguese kings from the 13th to the late 19th centuries.

 We hiked to the top and meandered through exquisite parks and took in the past majesty of incredible castles and mansions.

Lisbon has endless vista points, impressive cathedrals and cutting edge concept stores which have transformed grand old homes into appealing retail shops in Chiado, Bairro Alto and Principe Real.

We rented a wonderful apartment in the picturesque Alfama residential district that had 180 degree water views.

By the end of the week the family felt as if we could easily transition into living in Lisbon…another viable option if it gets too hairy in the once great U.S. of A.